Tel Aviv / Tehran / Washington, D.C. : Israel launched airstrikes on Saturday targeting Iran’s Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Economic Zone in Khuzestan Province, according to reports from Fars News Agency. Multiple explosions were reported in the area, with thick smoke seen rising from the site.
Israeli security sources confirmed that the strikes were carried out by the Israeli Air Force, targeting facilities linked to three companies. At least five people were reported injured in the attack. Separately, a projectile reportedly landed near the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in southwestern Iran, killing one person.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also claimed it had struck Iranian air defense systems and a military facility associated with weapons research and development. In Tehran, a music school was reportedly destroyed in an airstrike.
Meanwhile, Iran claimed it shot down two U.S. fighter aircraft on Friday, including what it described as an F-35 Lightning II and an A-10 Thunderbolt II. However, several media reports suggest that one of the downed aircraft may have been an F-15E Strike Eagle instead.
Responding to the developments, former U.S. President Donald Trump said the incident would not affect ongoing talks, adding in a media interview, “We are at war.”
Iran has also announced a reward of 10 billion Iranian tomans (approximately ₹5.5 million) for capturing the pilot of the downed U.S. aircraft alive. State broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) urged citizens to hand over the pilot to authorities or the military.